The retired British couple were sailing the world on a 38-foot-yacht that represented most of their life savings when Somali pirates captured them last year, demanding the sort of huge ransom a multimillionaire or a multinational company might cough up.

The asylum seeker from Somalia hung his head as an immigration judge grilled him about his treacherous journey from the Horn of Africa. By air, sea and land he finally made it to Mexico, and then a taxi delivered him into the arms of U.S. border agents at San Diego.

Officials say at least 13 people have been killed, among them civilians and a police officer, in fighting after insurgents launched mortars at a police compound in Mogadishu during the force's 66th anniversary ceremony.

Islamic insurgents fired mortars at Somalia's airport as the president was boarding a plane Thursday, sparking battles that killed at least 20 people. The president was unhurt and his plane took off safely, police said.